Damaged road has resulted in daily traffic jams for 3-6 hours
RAJKOT: Trucker’s associations and those associated with transport business are up in arms over the pathetic condition of the national highway stretch between Maliya and Surajbari which is the gateway to two key ports— Kandla and Mundra in Kutch.
They said that the 20km stretch between Maliya and Surajbari had got damaged during the monsoon season and despite representations to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) over the last two months, the situation continues.
The Kutch-based truckers’ associations have warned NHAI that they will stop paying toll tax at Surajbari and Samakhiyali if the damaged roads are not repaired by December 31. They claimed that the damaged road has resulted in daily traffic jams for 3-6 hours for the trucks coming from Ahmedabad, Morbi, Rajkot and Jamnagar. It has also impacted the export and import trade at the Deendayal Port (in Kandla) and Mundra Port. According to transporters, at least 20,000 trucks ply on the 20km stretch between Maliya and Surajbari every day. Also, because of the unfinished Mundra-Garpadar and Mundra-Khedoi road that connect Gandhidham from Mundra, the delivery of goods to the ports was getting delayed. Jayesh Rajde, president of Kandla Mundra Transport Welfare Association said, “The traffic jams for 3-6 hours has become a daily affair on Surajbari-Samakhiali road. The repairing work is on but at a snail’s pace that too without diversions.” Transporters pay total Rs 750 as toll tax at Samakhiali and Surajbari. The NHAI project coordinator in Kutch Krishnapal Chauhan could not be contacted for comments.